Logging-carriage.



T. c; LAWLESS. 'LOGGING CARRIAGE. APPLICATION FILED APR-14,1915.-

1,237,,Q67. I .Piatented Aug. 14,1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS CHENEY LAWLESS; 0F GARDEN CITY, LOUISIANA.

LOGGING-CARRIAGE. V

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, TrroMAs C ENEY Lawrinss, a-,citi-z;en of the United States, residing at Garden Cityfin the parish of St. Mary and State of liouisianafliave 1nvented a new and useful Logging-Carriage,

of which the followingis a specification.

The .device forming the subject matter of thisapplication is a carriage adapted pr' marily although not exclusively to constitutea part of a conveyer system for handling timber in the forest. A

One of the objects of the invention 1s to improve the construction of the carriage,

so that the same will pass readily by those brackets upon which the carriage supporting track is upheld, a yieldable' closurebeing mounted in a novel manner on thecarriage, which closure willi move out of the way to permit the carriage to' pass the bracket, and then. resume its original position. 7

It is within the province of the disclosure to. improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of thattype' to which the present inventionappertains. 0

With the above and other ObRQtS in view which will appear as" the descriptionproceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing p Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective 7 view illustrating the conveyer system forming a portion of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the carriage;

, Fig. 3 is an elevation depicting the opposite side of thecarriage from that shown in r Fig. 2; o f

u is viewed edgewise;

Fig 4 is an elevation wherein the carriage Fig; 5. a fragmental perspective illustra-ting the auxiliary means whereby, at

times, the load may be suspended directly from the carriage,

The carnage forming one part of the 1 and includes a back plate 2 o-fany desired contour, the back plate 2 being bent asin (heated at 3 to form an upper front plate 4:

Specification of Letters Patent. at te A 0, 14, 1917; Application fiieai fii 14, 191-5. Serial No. 21,336.

the top portion of the plate 2-'34 of the carriage is an arched bracket 5, one arm 6 of which rests against the forward'fa'ce of the front plate 4, the other arm 7 of which. is spaced from the back pl e 2- The f m 'Z of the" bracket 5 is attached to the b'ack plate 2 by means of spaced axles 8 supporting sheaves 9 located between the arm 7 and the back plate 2. A. pin 10 which may be in the form of a bolt'passes throughthe lower end of the arm 7, through the lower end of the back plate 2 and through a lower front plate 35. By means of rivets 12 or other suitable connecting means, the lower front plate 35 is secured a); the back plate 2, spacing spools 11 surrounding the rivets 12 and lying between the back plate 2 and the lower front plate 35. Theback plate 2 may be assembled with the depending rear arm 7 of bracket 5 in a similar manner, the spacingspo ols appearing at 37. The lower edge of thefront plate 4 is spaced, apart from the upper edge of the front plate 35 .to form an opening 36 having functions which will be s'et'forth hereinafter.

I A-shaft 14; is mounted to rock in the portions of the carriage adjacent the upper end of the carriage, and toone end of the shaft 14 is secured a depending keeper 15 which extends across the opening 36 in the carriage.

The lower extremity of the keeper 15 is received within the oiiset end 38 of a guard 39 attached by means of ,se-

- curing elements 40'to the lower front plate 'medium of a link 19, the sheaves of the double-block 20 being indicated by thereference character 21. 'Oneend ofthe clevis 18 preferably lies between the voffset lower through the elements last above mentioned.

end 22 ofthe guard 39 and the outer face Y 'of the plate 35, 'thepin or bolt 10 passing v carriage.

is a cuff 23, the function of which will be brought out hereinafter. Supported for rotation on the, carriage 1 between the plate 2 and the plate 4 are wheels 24.

By swinging the keep-er 15 to one side, the carriage may be mounted to move along a track 25 in the form of a cable, the track being received by the wheels 24. It will be understood that the function of the spring 17, actuating the shaft 14 through the medium of the crank 16 is to restore the keeper 15 to a position across the slot or opening 36, this opening being adapted to receive the brackets (not shown) whereon the track 25 is supported. When the keeper 15 is in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and is engaged behind the end 38 of the guard 39, the carriage 1 will move along the track 25 and cannot readily jump therefrom.

The conveyer system hereinbefore alluded to embodies the track 25, indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1. A haul-out line 26 is provided, and the upper run of the haul-out line passes between the sheaves 9 on the carriage. The haul-out line 26 is looped around a direction changing idler 27, one end of the haul-out line being connected to a elevis 29 or the like mounted on the carriage 1. The other end of the haul-out line 26 is operatively connected with a winding device 28.

The conveyer system includes a combined load supporting and back-haul line 31 trained over one of the sheaves 21 on the The line 31 is operatively connected with a winding device 30. Another combined load supporting and back-haul line 33 is shown, the same being operatively conneeted with a winding device 32. the line 33 passing across the other of the sheaves 21 onthe carriage. The free ends of the load supporting and back-haul lines 31 and 33 are provided with suitable means for gripping an objeet, such as a log 44. Tongs 34 may be employed for the purpose above indieated.

The conveyer comprises a flexible element 41 preferably in the form of a chain. The upper end of this chain is assembled with the cuff 23 on the carriage, and the lower .end of the chain is provided with a hook 42 which may be detaehably connected with an eye 42 carried by links 42 pivoted to the ends of the tongues v34.

In practical operation, the carriage 1 is run out in the direction of the arrow A by means of the haulout line 26. lone pair of tongs, say the pair. of tongs on the line 33 is connectedwith a log or other object 44, the log is raised from the ground, and the I 60 hook 42 on the chain 41 is engaged with the eye 42 of the tongs which holds the log. Then the log and the carriage are drawn rearwardly by. the line 33. During this operation, the line 31 remains extended and the tongs 34 on. the said line may engage with a log or other object while the carriage is moving inwardly. Thus, no time is lost in loading, it being possible to keep the carriage practically in continuous reciproeating motion.

The advantage in employing the chain 41 arises out of the fact, that, since the log 44 is supported by the chain while the log is being hauled in, the haul-out line 26 may be left slack so as to pay out freely. In the absence of the chain 41 it is necessary to keep a tension on the line 26 while the log is being hauled in, notably if the conveyer is not of great length.

The conveyer system hereinbefore described forms an invention separate and distinct from the logging carriage claimed in this application. A conveyer system resembling in many respects the one above alluded to, is claimed in my copending application for Letters Patent on a device for logging timber, filed June 3, 1914, Serial No. 842,746. A patent maturing out of this present application Number 21,330 will, therefore, confer no monopoly as to the conveyer system.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, a conveyer carriage provided upon one side with a bracket-receiving opening; a trackengaging wheel journaled on the carriage adjacent the upper end thereof; a shaft mounted to rock in the carriage and located adjacent the upper end of the carriage, the shaft being provided with a depending crank arm; a retractile spring the upper end of which is connected with the crank arm; means for connecting the lower end of the spring with the carriage; and a depending 'keeper secured to the shaft and extended transversely of the opening.

2. In a device of the class descr1bed,.a conveyer carriage having a bracket receiving opening; a yieldable closure for the opening; a pair of track-engagingwheels mounted on the carriage adjacent the upper edge thereof and disposed substantially in a common horizontal plane; and a pair of sheaves located one above the other. and mounted on the carriage, the sheaves being disposed below the wheels and symmetrically with respect to the wheels, and to one side of the vertical plane in which the wheels are located. y j p 3. In a device. of the class described, a conveyer carriage including a hook-shaped back plate comprising a depending body and a depending forward end; a hook-.

shaped bracket superposed on thev back plate and comprising a depending. body and a depending forward end, the bodies of the back plate and the bracket being spaced apart; a wheel journaled between the bodies of v he back plate and the bracket; a wheel journaled between the body of the back plate and the forward end thereof; a front plate assembled With the body of the back plate and spaced from the forward ends of the back plate and the bracket to define an opening disposed below the second specified Wheel; a shaft journaled in the bodies and in the forward ends of the back plate and the bracket; a closure for the opening and 10 carried by the shaft; and spring means for 'as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS CHENEY LAWLESS.

Witnesses:

IRA W. SCHWARTZ, T. CLARENCE LAWLESS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

